The following is a summary of “Manual Therapy for Cervical Radiculopathy: Effects on Neck Disability and Pain – A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Pain Research by Xu and Ling.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the effects of various manual therapy approaches in treating cervical radiculopathy using a network meta-analysis.
They examined randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on manual therapy for cervical radiculopathy published in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase databases. Data on the neck disability index and visual analogue scale for neck pain were collected and analyzed using network meta-analysis.
The results showed that 8 eligible studies involving 632 participants (mean age 40–47 years) were included. The intervention duration varied between 4 and 6 weeks and 3 intervention groups were analyzed: Group C (exercise and other therapies without manual therapy), Group M (manual therapy without traction), and Group MT (manual therapy with traction). Group M had the highest likelihood (68.1%) of improving the neck disability index, followed by Group MT (29.1%) and Group C (2.8%). Compared to Group C, Group M improved by 0.58 (95% CI: −0.17, 1.33), and Group MT improved by 0.36 (95% CI: −0.39, 1.11). No significant difference was found between Group M and Group MT (0.22, 95% CI: −0.59, 1.03). For neck pain, Group M had the highest chance (59.5%) of improvement, followed by Group MT (39.6%) and Group C (0.9%). Compared to Group C, Group M improved by 0.74 (95% CI: −0.04, 1.52), and Group MT improved by 0.61 (95% CI: −0.18, 1.40). The difference between Group M and Group MT was not significant (0.13, 95% CI: −0.72, 0.98). No publication bias was detected by Egger’s regression test.
Investigators concluded that manual therapy effectively improved neck pain and the neck disability index in cervical radiculopathy, but further evidence on the use of cervical traction was needed.
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